Funding agency cautious on TV claim

The Maori Broadcasting Funding Agency isn't getting carried away with the high number of tangata whenua who list watching a television programme about themselves as their top cultural activity.

Photo: SUPPLIED

Its chief executive, John Bishara, said though Statistics New Zealand figures suggested 75 percent of Maori get their main modern cultural fix from the small screen, it was only part of the cultural picture.

He said that he was not celebrating the data too hard.

Mr Bishara said if people were only fed the medium of television to improve cultural awareness, then they were missing out - because it was a one-dimensional approach to learning.

Mr Bishara said television was powerful, and could turn people on to Te Reo me nga Tikanga, or the language and the customs.